held Canonicall and those that contradicted the same were therefore cast out and condemned as Heretikes This was the manner and the occasion of the rising of this Beast out of this turbulent Sea And here by the way observe 〈◊〉 1.17 That every good giving and perfect gift is from above from the Father of lights But this Beast is from the Sea beneath not from above and therefore not belonging to the kingdome of Christ But an adversary and enimie thereof Of this Beast it is said that he had 7 heads a thing which is monstrous in nature And therefore by this wasforeshewed that the dominion represented by this beast should be a monstrous dominion Concerning these heads let this be considered That the whole state or society of the Antichristian Sea is of two sorts of people the one sort they call the Cleargie the other sort the Layetie Of these the Cleargie are as heads and guides to direct and go before and the Laietie as the body or rather the tayle to follow after Again by the same policy their Cleargie are sorted into seven orders or degrees namely to speake in their language 1. Iamtores sets ostiarij 2. Lectares 3. Exorcistie 4. Acolithi 5. Subdiaconi 6. Diaconi 7. Sacerdotes These are the seven orders of the Antichristian Cleargie As for Popes Cardinals Patriarches Arch-bishops Bishops Arch-deacous c. they are titles of Dignity and not of order For the Pope is but a Priest concerning his orders and when he stands at the Altar and faith Masse he doth that as Priest and not as a Pope and so of all other degrees This considered it may well bee said of the Anti-christian Synagogue and State that it is as a Monster with seven heads As for the Ministers which God hath ordained to be in his Church they are first Apostles secondly Prophets thirdly Teachers c. 1 Cor. 12.28 c. See also Rom. 12.6 7 1. Eph. 4 11 12 13. And these onely were given for the gathering together of the Saints for the work of the Ministery and for the edification of the body of Christ. Not some to have a bunch of Keys with a charge of the doors of this or that Temple or Cathedrall Church Another to have a book to read to the people things which neither he nor they did understand A third to have a Book of Conjurations or Charmes with charge to read them or say by heart to such as were distracted of their wits or possessed with Divels and to put their hands upon them A fourth to have a Taper or Wax-candle with a Candlestick to carry before the Priests and Deacons in doing their service A fift to recive of the people oblations and offerings and to deliver them to the Deacon to carry to the Altar to read the Epistle and to stand by the Preist while he was saying the Masse A sixth to be the Bishops spie and intelligencer to informe him of such as be irregular and observe not their orders to read the Gospell attend the Priest at the Altar c. A seventh to consecrate the Hoast as they call it and then to offer it as a sacrifice propitiatory for the quick and dead These are not they which God hath given to be in the Church But these are they whereof the Antichristian Cleargie consisteth for whosoever is one of that Cleargie is one of these seven orders be he Pope Prelate or else whatsoever and to note and foreshew this point of policy this Beast which IOHN saw had seven heads If any shall thinke this to be a vaine frivolous and strange interpretation to understand by the seven heads of the Beast these seven order of the Cleargie as thinking those heads to betoken things of greater note and importance Let such consider what account and reckoning is made of such persons as have received the Sacraments of Orders and holy tonsure in the kingdome of the Beast and they shall finde the interpretation not impertinent but very agreeable For a time there was since the writing of this prophesie Vide Concil Matisconen secundum Can. 9.10 when the meanest shrimp that was within these holy Orders as they call them was held to be of that dignity that the chiefest and worthiest secular Iudge in a Kingdom was held unworthy to judge or censure them for any trespasse or fact how notorious wicked and manifest soever because they had received holy Tonsure and were thereby consecrated and set apart unto God to be his portion and heritage and to pray for the people and therefore were exempted from all secular jurisdiction and power such was their dignity accounted to be and still is where that kingdom prevaileth and hath the dominion yea ever in this Land that quarrell hath cost the King his Crown as it is to be seene in the Histories of the Reign of King IOHN and not his Crown onely but his life also Now if the meanest of them be above the dominion of any King or secular Iudge and secular Iudges be the heads of the people whom God hath appointed to beare rule over them well may these be said to be as heads in the kingdom of the Beast wherein these shavelings are holden to be so holy and high in dignity and degree As this Beast which Iohn saw had seven heads so likewise it had ten hornes whereby was foreshewed that as the Kings of the Medes and Persians were shewed and represented to Daniel by the two hornes of the Beast which he saw in his vision so the Kings of many Kingdomes should be as garders and defenders of the Antichristian kingdom and state And that this Scripture hath been fulfilled to the uttermost by the Kings of the Nations is so manifest that none can be ignorant of it that are of judgement and experience And it was just with the Lord to make the Kings of the earth vassals to this Beast because they received not the love of the truth but took pleasure in urighteousnesse they would not forsake their sins to live godlily righteously and soberly as all must do that will attaine salvation but they would live after their lusts and for their sins they would make satisfaction by building of Churches and Monasteries c. and endowing them with Lands Rents and other Revenews by means whereof those which traded like Merchants in those many waters the kingdom of the Beast grew rich and wealthy and became the great men of the earth Furthermore John faith of the Beast that he saw that it was like a Leopard c. By the resemblance and likenesse of a Leopard was signified that this Beast should be foule and full of spots as is shewed in the 18 Chapter Babylon is become the habitation of Divels and the hold of foule spirits and the Cage of every unclean and hatefull Bird. The filthinesse of this Beast is apparant in that he doth by force and Armes compell all sorts of wicked and ungodly people to be of his
we are fallen and being enemies and opposers of Christ and his Kingdom it doth behoove us to know them to the end that wee may eschew them and their evill wayes and seek after the truth making strait steps unto the Kingdom of God Now that we our selves may make particular use hereof it is necessary for us to examine the Nationall Synod or Convocation consisting of the Prelacy and Clergie of the Land who whilst they remained under the yoke and bondage of the Church of Rome and whilst they exercised their power which was first given them by the Pope for and in the behalfe of that Church and Dominion they were the very Image of the first Beast before mentioned But being now separated from the Pope and Church of Rome they think as it should seem that their spirituall Pontificall power and authority which they exercise is lawfull and warrantable and to be submitted unto They being gathered together boast themselves to be the representative body of the Church of England and the true Church of Christ and that they have power to make Laws and Canons for Government thereof and for the worship of God which all men ought to yeeld obedience unto as appeareth by divers of their Bookes of Canons But we are not to take this upon their word but to make triall thereof by the Word of God whether it be true or false If the Word of God did give them such power and authority then indeed we were bound in conscience to yeeld already obedience to their Lawes and Canons But the most wise God and Disposer of all things who knoweth the vanity of mens mindes would not have his people to hold their faith in respect of mens persons and at their pleasure to alter and change the same and therefore did not give to any of his Ministers power to make Laws in matters of Religion and for the worship of God but gave them power onely to teach the Nations to observe the things which he had commanded them as in the 28. of Mathew the 19. and 20. verses And the Apostle Paul biddeth the Corinthians 1 Cor. 11.1 to be followers of him as he followed Christ And in the same Chapter he also saith That which he had received of the Lord he delivered unto them Acts 15. Also the Assembly of the apostles and Elders of the Church of Ierusalem they would not impose any yoke of bondage upon the Churches of Christ but held it to be a tempting of God so to do as before hath been shewed And this agreeth with that in Deut. 12.32 Whatsoever I command you take heed you do it Thou shalt put nothing thereto nor take ought therefrom By which Scriptures it is plain that the chiefest Ministers of the Gospell had no such power as these Prelates presume to have as we shall finde by examining their particular Canons and Constitutions of which for examples I will onely note some few of their late and best reformed Book made Anno 1603. in the first year of the Kings Majesties reign by which it will be apparant that they passe the bounds of the Subjects of Christ and that they have no power from him to make such Laws but by so doing they usurp the place of God to reign in mens consciences for unto him onely it doth belong to make Laws in matters of Religion and for the worship of God to which men are onely bound to yeeld obedience without adding or detracting and that for this their presumption they are liable to the curse of God being indeed the Image of the Beast here spoken of that is originally sprung from the Dragon and hath received power of Law-making from him Concerning the first and second Canons wherein they pretend their zeal for the abolishing of all forraign power repugnant to the jurisdiction of the Kings Majestie over the Ecclesiasticall estate he being the highest power under God to whom all men owe most loyall obedience and that his Majestie hath the like authority in Causes Ecclesiasticall as the godly Kings had amongst the Iews To these I do most willingly assent and agree And further do desire that as the Pope so the Prelacy with all their Antichristian Adherents which usurp spirituall power and superiority above the Majestie of Christ Iesus being a strange and forraigne generation brought in and established in this Land by the Pope of Rome may also be abolished and cast out after him for by them the Pope lives in hope hereafter to be served as he hath been heretofore to the great vexation of the Kings and Princes of this Land yea to the losse of their Crown and lives But to be short I will proceed to mention some few of their Canons whereby iniquity is established for a Law and their beastlinesse discovered In the third Canon it is enacted that whosoever shall affirme the Church of England by Law established not to be a true and Apostolicall Church teaching and maintaining the doctrine of the Apostles that person shall bee excommunicated ipso facto That there are some yea many doctrines of the Apostles maintained in the Church of England I do not deny so there are in the Church of Rome But that the Ecclesiasticall state or spirituall body politike which is called the Church of England which consisteth of Arch-bishops Diocesan Lord-bishops Suffragans Deanes Arch-deacons Prebends Canons Chancellours Commissaries with the rest of the Clergie as heads and guides of that body to go before and the whole multitude of the Layitie as they call it which is as the Tayle to follow those Heads that this politicall Body is the Spouse and Church of Christ as they affirme in their seventh eighth and ninth Canons that I do deny For first if it were true that they are the Ministers of Christ which is his Church we should finde warrant for them in his Testament wherein is set down the Ministers which he hath set in the Church namely Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors and Teachers and also their office and administration But in all the New Testament no Arch-bishops nor Lord-bishops no Deanes nor Arch-deacons Prebends Priests nor Canons no Chancellours nor Commissaries and other their Court-officers nor any such administration as they challenge and execute can there be found they are a strange generation that is risen up out of the earth for earthly-minded and vaine men have invented them and therefore the body which consisteth of them cannot of right bee acknowledged to bee the Body of Christ whose Ministers in respect that they are called according to the Commandement of Christ are from Heaven But it is indeed the Image of the first Beast whose mouth was as the mouth of a Lyon his body like a Leopard and his feet as the feet of a Beare an ugly compounded and deformed monster And as their names are strange and different from the Ministers of Christ so is their practise contrary they are not servants to the Flock and Church of Christ
and helpers of their joy but they are authours of their woe challendging and exercising Lordship and Dominion over their faith for in stead of a due administration of the Word of God they have mingled a cup of fornication for the people to drink that is devised a forme of Book-worship with Orders Rites and Ceremonies which they have imposed on the people under the title of Divine Service and which they must observe without adding thereto or taking any thing from it as in the 4 6 7 8 and 14. Canons Further they are not painefull Preachers but lazy Lords they are not followers of Christ and of his Word but are contemners thereof casting it behinde their backs and will not be reformed nor ruled by it they are Law-makers much like Nebuchadnezzar for as he would destroy all that would not worship his golden Image So whosoever doth refuse to yeeld obedience to their Lawes shall bee most severely punished as is plaine by divers penalties annexed to their Canons In consecrating and ordaining Priests they are like to Ieroboam for as he consecrated whom he would of the basest of the people to be the Priests of the high places which he had set up so do they ordaine for the most part ignorant fellows to be their Parish Priests and inferiour Ministers wherein though they do most absurdly yet will they not bee contradicted as we may see by the 57 Canon where it is said whosoever shall refuse to communicate with a dumb and unpreaching Minister Let him be excommunicated And although their owne Doctours complaine and cry out against it yet they will not amend amongst the rest it is worthy to be observed what their own great Champion profound Master Hooper faith viz. That both Arguments from light of nature Laws and Statutes of Scripture the Canons that are taken out of ancient Synods the decrees and constitutions of sincerest times the sentences of all antiquity and in a word every mans consent and conscience is against ignorance in them that have the cure and charge of soules If it be so how unreasonable and beastly is it for the Prelates to ordain allow and approve of such for the Ministers of Christ of which there are many hundreds in the Land whom the Prelates are not ashamed to forbid to expound the Scriptures as in the 49 Canon where it is said that some of their Parish Priests shall not take upon them to expound in their cure or else-where any Scripture or matter or doctrine but shall onely study to read c. It is greatly to be wondred at that so many grave heads as were gathered together and sate consulting about these matters should breed and bring forth such absurd and impious Canons If there were nothing else this allowance of dumb Ministers is sufficient to shew the vanity of their mindes and the darknesse of their foolish hearts So that wee may truely say of them that when they professed themselves to be most wise by exalting and making themselves equall with God in making Laws for the government of his House the Church even then they became most foolish and voide of judgement As for the best sort of their Parish Priests which are men of learning and gifts they must also be confined within their limits they must worship God according to the rules prescribed them by these their spirituall Fathers as in the 38 Canon If any Minister shall omit to use the forme of prayer or any of the Orders or Ceremonies prescribed in the Communion Book let him be suspended and if he do not conforme within the space of a moneth let him be deposed The absurdities and blasphemies contained in that Comon Prayer-book are many which having been discovered and laid open by divers Treatises already published in print I will omit onely this I will adde that in the imposing of that Service Booke or any other this great iniquity is committed by the imposers thereof That they do exalt themselves both against Christ who is ascended into Heaven and hath given gifts to his Ministers Ephes 4.1 11 12. for the gathering together of the Saints for the worke of the ministery and for the edification of the Church his Body and also they exalt themselves against the Holy Ghost who onely hath power to help our infirmities Rom 8.26 and to furnish men with gifts to worship God aright Further their Preachers may not teach against their corrupt Church state and Ministry though they know it to bee Antichristian nor against the forme of worship prescribed in the said Common-prayer Book nor against the ceremonies nor the Government of the Church of England by Arch-bishops Bishops Deanes Archdeacons and the rest that beare office in the same nor against the manner and form of making and consecrating Bishops Priests or Deacons nor against the Laws and Ordinances Ecclesiasticall established in the said Church whosoever transgresseth in these things shall be excommunicated ipso facto as is plaine in the 4 6 7 8 and 54. Canons Thus by excommunicating and cursing they labour to maintaine and defend their corruptions but not one jott of Scripture dare they shew and no marvaile seeing the whole Scriptures are against mens inventions and traditions of which nature these abuses are being left here by the Pope and retained and renewed by his Prelates As they may not teach against these things so on the contrary they may not teach the true and right way which Christ hath prescribed in his Testament how we must worship God nor how the true Church of Christ ought to be gathered and constituted the Ministers thereof ordained nor the manner how it ought to be governed as appeareth in the 9.10 11. and 12. Canons By which we may see in what bondage their Preachers are kept they must hide their Talent in the earth and put their candle under a Bushed lest men by the light thereof should come to the knowledge of the truth and believe it Also it is to be observed as a generall rule that none good or bad learned or unlearned can be suffered to receive their Orders of Priesthood or Deaconship or be admitted to preach or execute a Ministery in their Parish Churches unlesse they sweare to conforme to the worship and ceremonies prescribed by these Prelates and also submit to their Anti-christian rule and government which they challenge to themselves as being Lords over all Thus by swearing they make their inferiour Priests to sell themselves to worke wickednesse which trick they have cunningly devised to bring the Land in subjection to these Antichristian yoke And upon the taking of this Oath they receive the Prelates Marke which is called in this Chapter the Marke of the Beast which is understood to be the Letters of Orders under the Prelates hand and Seale to testifie that they are made Priests or Deacons according to the Order and Canons prescribed in that behalfe in this their Convocation as we may see in the 36 48